Andres, 44, left the College Avenue house he shares with his brother, Beaver Councilman Alex Andres, shortly before 4 p.m. Dec. 30 without telling Alex where he was going.

Michael Andres was wearing only blue shorts, an unidentified shirt, athletic shoes and an Air Force-issued camouflage parka that possibly has his name on it. DeGori said a female acquaintance was driving by when she saw him walking on Turnpike Street toward Rochester around 4 p.m.

Police believe the last valid sighting of Michael Andres occurred around 5:30 p.m. when a woman said she saw him walking toward Bridgewater between the Giant Eagle in Rochester and the Bridgewater Bridge.

"It's been extremely frustrating that there has been no evidence whatsoever," said Alex Andres, who previously revealed that his brother suffered from symptoms of Huntington's disease, a degenerative disorder that can cause erratic behavior and limit physical abilities.

The disease took the lives of another brother, Scott, in 2008, and their mother, Charlotte, in 1991. Alex Andres said his brother could have walked across the bridge over the Beaver River from their home even though he was ailing.

Michael Andres was in the Air Force Reserve - he enlisted the day before his 35th birthday - but was honorably discharged last summer, his brother said.

The suicide rate for those suffering from Huntington's is extraordinarily high, said Alex Andres, and that's always been in the back of his mind.

Alex Andres said he's received "a great deal of support" from friends, and every time he goes out people stop him and ask how they can help or share their concern over his brother. "It's a little bit overwhelming," he said of the outpouring of interest.

"Everybody wants to do something, but there's not anything anybody can do."

While the timing might seem odd, police don't believe there's any link between Michael Andres' disappearance and that of Geneva College student Devon Minor, 18, who hasn't been seen since Jan. 20.

Beaver County Det. Lt. Kim Clements, who is involved in the two cases, said both disappearances "have been really challenging" because there is little evidence to help investigators.

Clements said she will meet with Beaver police Monday "to brainstorm a little bit on what else we can do" in the Michael Andres case.

DeGori said he checks for activity on Michael Andres' bank account almost daily, but there has been none since mid-December. Police have searched his computer and found nothing to indicate he was planning to disappear or exchanging e-mails with anyone.

"He kept pretty much to himself," Alex Andres said.

Police have also checked with bus and taxi companies and asked Pittsburgh police to monitor city homeless shelters.

DeGori said last week that police have not yet received the DNA and dental records on Michael Andres that they requested from the Air Force.

Basic information on Michael Andres has been placed in a state police database that has circulated his name and photo nationwide, DeGori said.

Investigators might organize another search, DeGori said, focusing on the West Aliquippa section of Aliquippa where the Andres brothers' grandmother used to live.

On Jan. 4, New Brighton firefighters used the county's rotating sonar to search the Beaver River as police and county detectives watched from shore. At the same time, firefighters from Rochester and Bridgewater searched the Ohio River shore down to the Montgomery Locks and Dam.

Michael Andres left his home carrying few items, Beaver County Detective Jim DeGori said. Police found his wallet and bank card in his bedroom, but his driver's license remains missing.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.